Hopper door operating mechanism



Jan. 26, 1965 Filed May 1, 1963 W. E. KEMP 3,167,026

HOPPER DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 PEG! INVENTOR. WILLARD E. KEMP WM QM ATTORNEY 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 1, 1965 INVENTOR WILLARD E. KEMP ATTORNEY Jan. 26, 1965 w. E. KEMP HOPPER DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 1, 1963 INVENTOR.

WILLARD E. KEMP ATTORNEY Jan. 26, 1965 w. E. KEMP HOPPER DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed May 1, 1963 INVENTORI WILLARD E. KEMP ATTORNEY United States Patent New Jersey Filed May 1, 1963. Ser. No. 277,335

This invention relates to hoppers, and more particularly to a railway hopper car gravity outlet having a quick opening door controlling the outlet.

In some types of hopper cars it is required that more rapid gravity discharge be available than is provided in present standard gravity outlet hopper cars. Typical of this need are the cars moving potash and other bulk chemicals or for larger sized material, such as coal, where a larger number of cars must be unloaded at one specific station than can now be unloaded using standard cars.

Accordingly, there has been the need for a gravity outlet with a large discharge area having a quick opening door controlling the outlet and that would afford faster gravity discharging of powdery material, such'as flour, and for discharging larger sized material, such as coal.

The need for a quick opening door has been solved by this invention by having an improved mechanism actuating the door and utilizing the pressure acting on the door due to the weight of the lading within the hopper plus the weight of the door. This invention utilizes this pressure and weight to perform two important tasks. It provides for the positive locking and sealing of the door against the lading pressure and the weight of the door itself, and also it provides for the quick opening of the door when discharging of the lading is desired.

The other need, for a large size discharge opening, has

been solved by this invention by providing an improved frame structure defining a discharge outlet substantially higher from the rails than herebefore provided in gravity outlet hopper cars, and by utilizing the area below the slope sheets for locating the hinges for the doors on two opposite sides of the discharge opening and for locating the actuating mechanism on the other two opposite sides of the discharge opening. If powdery or similar mate rial is to be unloaded and the discharge opening is small, unloading may be interrupted, since such material has a tendency to bridge or arch over the doors. A larger discharge opening will prevent the interruption of unload ing due to bridging or arching and in addition has the advantage of being able to discharge material in less time. it is therefore the purpose of this invention to provide an elllcient gravity outlet having an improved quick opening door controlling the same together with a maximum discharge area for rapidly unloading either granular and powdered material or for unloading larger sized material.

An obiect of this invention is to provide a hopper unloading system having an unloading outlet that is provided with a gravity door whereby the weight of the material exerting pressure on the door is utilized to constrain a door operating mechanism located externally of the hopper to keep the door in a locked position.

Another object of this invention is to provide a hopper unloading system having an unloading outlet that is controlled by a gravity door that can open rapidly to unload lading due to the weight of the lading acting on the door. Another object of this invention is to provide a hopper having a gravity door that is provided with an operating mechanism having an improved safety clutch in which a removable bar may be inserted to initially rotate the mechanism to open the door and which clutch relieves the bar of rotation when the weight of the lading revolves the door to an open position, thereby providing safety to the operator in the manipulation of the door.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a ddhhhzd Fatented .lan. 26, I965 hopper having a door mounted adjacent an outlet and which door has means for centering itself beneath the discharge opening of said outlet to provide therewith a tight seal suitable for retaining and protecting lading within the hopper against the external weather elements.

An additional object of this invention is to provide a hopper outlet having a mechanism for retaining a gravity door in a locked position beneath the discharge opening by utilizing the lading pressure, and also for operating said mechanism from either side of the hopper for rapidly opening said door by utilizing the lading pressure.

Additional objects and features of the invention will be self-evident as the description of the physical embodiments selected for illustration progresses. In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, similar characters of reference have been applied to corresponding parts throughout the several views which make up the drawing.

FIGURE 1 is a view looking at the bottom of the device in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention;

Flt-G. 2 is an end view of the device shown in FIG. 1 with a pair of quick opening doors in a closed and locked position;

PEG. 3 is an end view of the device, as in FIG. 2, with the doors in an opened position; an i PEG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary side view partly in section of the device shown in FIGS. 1 to 3.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, railroad car hopper slope sheets H are shown supporting an outlet 0 which extends transversely of the railroad car (not shown). it will be understood that a number of these outlets may be longitudinally spaced along the car, but for clarity, only one need be shown and described. The outlet 0 shown is provided with a pair of elongated door frames F extending longitudinally of the outlet andspaced transversely thereto. The frames F outline rectangular discharge openings P which are adapted to be closed by doors D with door operating means, such as an external over-center crank operating mechanism C, tightly securing said doors D onto said frames F.

The hopper H primarily comprises a plurality of inwardly and downwardly extending slope sheets S forming part of the car and reinforced peripherally by angles A. The hopper outlet 0 has transversely spaced longitudinally extending side sheet angles L and longitudinally spaced transversely extending end sheet angles T. Angles L and T of the outlet 0 are supported by angles A of the hopper H through a bolt and nut arrangement (not shown), which permits interchangeability in securing the outlet to the hoppers of other cars or to any storage hopper having the same bolt hole arrangement. interposed between horizontal flanges R of the angles L and T and the horizontal flanges Z of the angles A are spacer plates M and packing N for sealing the internalarea of the hopper to protectthe lading from moisture and other external contamination. Uniting the two frames F and forming the inner longitudinal sides of the rectangular openings P is a l'ongitudially extending hood W having an inverted U-shaped cross section with downwardly eX- tending legs G reinforced by a divider plate V. The lower edges-of the legs G are in the same plane as the lower edges of the angles L and T thereby forming the rectangular openings P extending in a horizontal plane.

Each door D is formed of an inner sideplate 8, an outer side plate 9 and a flat rectangular to plate ll securing on its underside at its longitudinal center line and at each end portion of a floating hinge ll. Each floating hinge 11 comprises a support plate or bracket 12 secured to the door by a bolt and nut arrangement 13, and a longitudinally extending pivot pin 14 mounted in bracket 12. It should be noted that each bolt and nut arrangement 13 is located endwardly of the door and outwardly of the opening P, as best shown in FIG. 4, thereby permitting each door to have presented to each opening P a flat smooth upper surface on which is bonded a thick layer of neoprene gasket 15. Thus, gasket 15 presents a smooth upper surface within the opening P on which the lading (not shown) may be supported when the doors D are closed.

In this device, there are four floating hinges 11, two for each door, and each having the bracket 12 with the longitudinally extending pin 14 mounted therein. Each floating hinge supports its pin so that it extends on each side of the bracket. As will be clear from FIG. 4, the inwardly extending portion of each pin has rotatably mounted thereon an inner bushing 16 which is secured to an L-shaped door arm 17. The outwardly extending portion of each pin 14 has rotatably mounted thereon an outer bushing 18 which is secured to the crank operating system C, hereinafter more fully described. The L-shaped arm 17, from the inner bushing 16, extends outwardly and upwardly on the side of the door D and is connected to a bushing 13 of a rigid hinge 20 on the sides of the frame F. Each rigid hinge 20 comprises a pair of longitudinally spaced hanger plates secured such as by welding to the underside of the flanges R of the longitudinally extending end sheet angles L. In addition the rigid hinge comprises a longitudinally extending pivot pin 21 supported at each end by the hanger plates.

As can be understood from this description, the doors D can pivot about their longitudinal centers, due to the floating hinge 11, thereby each door can be adapted to varying angles when the door is closed upon the opening P. That is, if the upper surface of the gasket 15 does not approach the opening P in the same plane as the plane formed by the edges of the angles L and T and the hood W, the gasket 15 will contact the extending edges, and the floating hinge will permit the door to pivot and seat itself upon the edges to thereby insure that the gasket 15 will be in engagement all around the periphery of the opening P to form a tight seal therewith.

Each outer bushing 18, which is rotatably mounted to the endwardly extending portion of the pin 14, as hereinbefore described, is secured to a transversely bent door link 22. There are four door links 22 for the hopper outlet, two for each of the crank operating mechanisms C. Each door is operated by a pair of these links 22, one link extending from each of the crank operating mechanisms at each end of the door, as best shown in FIG. 1. Each door operating mechanism C primarily comprises a separate bent door link 22 for each door, a pair of cranks 23, a pair of safety clutches 24 and a longitudinally extending shaft 25.rigidly connecting the cranks 23 and pivotally supporting the clutches 24. The shaft 25 rotates in a pair of longitudinally spaced support journal blocks 26 which are secured, such as by welding, to the underside of the flanges R of the angles T, at each end of the outlet intermediate the frames F. Each crank 23 of each mechanism comprises a pair of longitudinally spaced arms 27, forming a mount for a crank pin 28 and bushing 29 for pivotally mounting one end of a bent link 22. The other end of the bent link 22 is pivotally connected by pin 14 to the floating hinge 11, as hereinbefore described. The links 22 are bent as shown in FIG. 3 at 30, in order that when the doors are in a closed position, as shown in FIG. 2, the line of force extending through the center of the pins 14 and 28, will pass beyond and to the left of the axial center of the shaft 25, thereby providing a beyond center or toggle locked connection between the doors D and the shaft 25. Therefore any downward pressure exerted against the doors to urge the doors to open, will tend to pull the fioat ing hinge 11 downwardly and urge the links 22 to rotate in a counterclockwise direction. The doors will be kept closed and locked by their own weight and the weight of the lading on the doors within the hopper. Links 22 place cranks 23 in compression in the closed position of the door as shown in FIG. 2. The direction or line of force between pivots 14 and 28 passes closely adjacent the axis or rotation of shaft 25 as links 22 are moved only slightly over-center with respect to shaft 25 in the closed position. The line of force passing through pins 14 and 28 of each arm 17 is disposed at an angle with respect to the planar dimension of the associated door D that is substantially equal to the angle formed between the line of force passing through pins 14 and 21 and the planar dimension of the associated door D. Thus, the components of the lines of force passing through links 22 and arms 17 are substantially equal and the resultant upward force exerted by links 22 and arms 17 on pins 14 is substantially normal to the surface of doors D. This provides substantially equal sealing forces on all sides of the doors in the closed position thereof to permit doors D to seat tightly about the periphery of openings P. Shaft 25 is only slightly spaced from the line of force passing through pins 14 and 28 and has its longitudinal axis positioned along the same plane as pins 21. Thus, an isosceles triangle is formed between pins 14, 21 and shaft 25, the distance between pins 14 and 21 being equal to the distance between shaft 25 and pins 14.

Accidental operation of the mechanism, when the doors are in a closed position, is prevented by a safety lock 31 provided in addition to the self locking effect of the mechanism. The safety lock comprises a U-shaped strap 32, having an elongated leg 33 secured at its end to the hub circumference of the crank 23. The other leg 34 has an outwardly extending end which facilitates the engagement of the safety lock onto an offset locking rod 35 extending across the door and which is rotatably secured by straps 36 fastened, such as by welding, to one inner side plate 8 of the door D. Extending through an aperture formed on the end of leg 34 and on the lower portion of leg 33 is a key 37, through the end of which may be positioned a railroad seal 38. To prevent loss of the key, a chain 39 extends between and is fastened to the head of the key and to the lower edge of the inner side plate 8.

At each end portion of the shaft 25, outwardly of the crank 23 is located the safety clutch 24. The safety clutch freely rotates on the end of the shaft independently of the crank operating linkage system, except for a throw arm or finger 40 which extends into the plane of rotation of the outer arms 27 of one crank 23. Secured to the peripheral edges of the clutch 24 are a pair of loops 41 for inserting therein a bar (not shown) to operate the clutch 24 to thereby actuate the whole crank operating mechanism.

As best shown in FIG. 3 the use of the bent hinge arms 17 gives a lesser lowering of the door during opening thereby permitting the use of a larger door within the clearances permitted. Since the doors can rock on pins 14 a stop bar 42 is fastened to rib 9 limiting the rocking of the door and preventing it reversing under pressure of the lading as the door swings open.

In operation, assuming the doors to be in a closed position and the crank operating mechanism C in a retracted and locked position, as shown in FIG. 2, an operator first removes the railroad seal 38 and unlocks the safety lock 31 by rotating the rod 35 out of engagement with the U- shaped strap 32. Then he inserts a bar (not shown) into one loop 41 in a position to rotate the clutch 24 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 2. By rotating the clutch in a clockwise direction, the throw arm 40 will contact the under side of the outer arms 27 of the crank 23. The throw arm 40 will bear on the crank arm 27 and the crank 23 will rotate the shaft 25 through a small angle until the line or force extending from the centers of the pins 14 and 28 is placed on the right side of the center of the shaft 25, as viewed in FIG. 2. When the mechanism is in this position, the weight of the doors and the pressure of the lading above the doors will pull the crank and shaft downwardly and cause the doors to whip open at a greater speed than when rotated by the bar.

This overrunning of the mechanism, by crank 23 moving away from 40 in opening the doors will provide safety for the operator during opening the doors since the clutch will be completely released from the rotation and the force of the opening doors.

To close the doors, the operator reverses the operation by inserting the bar (not shown) into a loop 41 in a position to rotate the clutch 24 in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 3. The throw arm or finger 4i) will then contact the left side of the downwardly directed crank arm 27 of FIG. 3 to rotate the crank 23 and the shaft 25 in a counter-clockwise direction to retract the system and close the doors from the position shown in FIG. 3, to that shown in FIG. 2. The doors may then be locked and sealed by rod 35 for reloading of the hopper. i

It can be understood from the description that there is provided an improved quick opening double door gravity outlet that can be interchangeably attached to a car or hopper having the same type of a bolted mounting frame. Also it can be seen that the frame structure as described, provides for the maximum open discharge area. In addition since there is provided a pair of crank operating mechanisms, operable in unison, and the outlet extends transversely ofthe car, the doors can be operated from either side of the car for unloading the hopper. Again, this invention provides an improved safety clutch with overrunning features which protects the operator of the doors from being injured. Further, this invention rovides for a mechanism that utilizes the weight of the doors and the weight of the lading to keep the doors in a closed and locked position and in addition utilizes these wei hts to quickly open the doors. Another additional feature is the safety lock, in positively locking the crank to thereby provide a double safety against the inadvertently opening of the doors.

it is also apparent from the description that various modificaitons may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a railway car for the transport of bulk lading, the combination of a hopper having a plurality of opposed slope sheets converging downwardly to define a discharge opening at their lower edges, a frame surrounding the discharge opening formed by said slope sheets, hinge arms connected at their outer ends to opposite side of said frame for swinging movement about spaced apart first pivotal axes, spaced apart doors closing the discharge opening and connected substantially at their longitudinal centers for rocking movement about spaced apart second pivotal axes, said second pivotal axes being carried by the inner ends of said hinge arms, a shaft extending longitudinally across said frame intermediate said first pivotal axes and providing a third pivotal axis, the distance between said first pivotal axes and the adjacent second pivotal axes being substantially equal to the distance between said third pivotal axis and said second pivotal axes, door operating means including links connecting said shaft to each door substantially at said second pivotal axes and forming a toggle lock holding each door in closed position, and separate lock means carried by one of the doors and engageable with said shaft to prevent inadvertent rotation of said shaft.

2. In a railway car for the transport of bulk lading, a hopper having slope sheets converging downwardly to define a discharge opening at their lower edges, a frame surrounding the discharge opening formed by said slope sheets, a pair of oppositely facing doors each comprising a bottom plate being of a generally rectangular shape, a separate support arm for each bottom plate having an inner end pivotaily mounted about a generally horizontal axis positioned generally centrally of the width of the associated plate to support the doors for swinging movement toward and away from each other between open and closed positions relative to the bottom discharge opening,

each plate being mounted about its horizontal axis for limited pivotal movement relative to its associated support arm, a crankshaft mounted for rotation along a generally horizontal axis and positioned generally at a position adjacent the inner sides of the plates in the closed position of the doors, a separate crank for each door secured to the crankshaft for rotation therewith, and a separate link for each door pivotally connected at one end to the pivotal axis of the inner end of an associated support arm and pivotally connected at its opposite end to one of the cranks, the link on each door being pivoted past a dead center position with respect to the rotational axis of the crankshaft when the doors are in closed position whereby the weight of the lading within the railway car continuously urges the doors toward closed position when the doors are closed, each door being urged into closed position about the generally horizontal axis on the inner end of the associated support arm to permit the door to rock and seat tightly about the periphery of the discharge opening, the pivotal axes of each support arm being positioned along a line disposed at an angle with respect to the planar dimension of its respective door substantially equal to the angle formed by a line passing through the pivotal axes of each of said links and the planar dimension of the respective door whereby the force exerted on the door through the common pivotal axis of said link and arm is substantially normal to the planar dimension of said door to provide a substantially uniform sealing force about the periphery of the discharge opening.

3. In a railway car as set forth in claim 2, a clutch about a projecting end of the crankshaft and rotatable in opposite directions for opening and closing the doors, said clutch including a crank engaging means operable to loosely engage one side of the crankshaft to open the doors and loosely engage the other side of the crankshaft to close the doors.

4. In a railway car as set forth in claim 2, each of said support arms being generally L-shaped and positioned beneath its associated plate, the outer end of each arm extending upwardly to a position above its respective plate in the closed position of the door and the inner end of the arm extending beneath the plate in a generally horizontal direction.

5. In a railway car for the transport of bulk lading, a hopper having slope sheets converging downwardly to define a discharge opening at their lower edges, a frame surrounding the discharge opening formed by said slope sheets, a pair of oppositely facin doors each comprising a bottom plate being of a generally rectangular shape, a separate support arm for each bottom plate having an inner end pivotally mounted about a generally horizontal axis positioned generally centrally of the width of the associated plate to support the doors for swinging movement toward and away from each other between open and closed positions relative to the bottom discharge opening, each plate being mounted about its associated horizontal axis for limited pivotal movement relative to its associated support arm, a crankshaft mounted for rotation along a generally horizontal axis and positioned generally at a position adjacent the inner sides of the plates in the closed position of the doors, a separate crank for each door secured to the crankshaft for rotation therewith, and a separate link for each door pivotally connected at one end to the pivotal axis of the inner end of an associated support arm and pivotally connected at its opposite end to one of the cranks, each door being urged into closed position about the generally horizontal axis on the inner end of the respective support arm thereby permitting the doors to rock about said generally horizontal axis and seat tightly about the periphery of the discharge opening.

6. A hopper structure having a plurality of opposed slope sheets converging downwardly to define a discharge opening at their lower edges, a frame surrounding the discharge opening formed by said slope sheets, hinge arms connected at their outer ends adjacent opposite sides of said frame for swinging movement about spaced apart first pivotal axes, spaced apart doors closing the discharge opening and connected substantially at their longitudinal centers for rocking movement about spaced apart second pivotal axes, said second pivotal axes being carried by the inner ends of said hinge arms, a shaft having its longitudinal axis extending longitudinally of said frame intermediate said first pivotal axes and providing a third pivotal axis, and door operating means connecting said shaft to each door substantially at said second pivotal axes, the

distance between said first pivotal axes and the adjacent second pivotal axes being substantially equal to the distance between said third pivotal axis and said second pivotal axes whereby the closing force of the door operating means acts along the longitudinal centers of the closed doors to provide an evenly distributed sealing action between the doors and the frame.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 672,076 Cowell Apr. 16, 1901 1,297,356 Iunghanns Mar. 18, 1919 1,508,551 Hindahl Sept. 16, 1924 2,184,656 Stone Dec. 26, 1939 2,324,356 Brown -1 July 13, 1943 2,493,393 Dorey Jan. 3, 1950 2,950,144 Dorey Aug. 23, 1960 

1. IN A RAILWAY CAR FOR THE TRANSPORT OF BULK LADING, THE COMBINATION OF A HOPPER HAVING A PLURALITY OF OPPOSED SLOPE SHEETS CONVERGING DOWNWARDLY TO DEFINE A DISCHARGE OPENING AT THEIR LOWER EDGES, A FRAME SURROUNDING THE DISCHARGE OPENING FORMED BY SAID SLOPE SHEETS, HINGE ARMS CONNECTED AT THEIR OUTER ENDS TO OPPOSITE SIDE OF SAID FRAME FOR SWINGING MOVEMENT ABOUT SPACED APART FIRST PIVOTAL AXES, SPACED APART DOORS CLOSING THE DISCHARGE OPENING AND CONNECTED SUBSTANTIALLY AT THE LONGITUDINAL CENTERS FOR ROCKING MOVEMENT ABOUT SPACED APART SECOND PIVOTAL AXES, SPACED APART DOORS CLOSING THE DISCHARGE OPENING NER ENDS OF SAID HINGE ARMS, A SHAFT EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY ACROSS SAID FRAME INTERMEDIATE SAID FIRST PIVOTAL AXES AND PROVIDING A THIRD PIVOTAL AXIS, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID FIRST PIVOTAL AXES AND THE ADJACENT SECOND PIVOTAL AXES BEING SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID THIRD PIVOTAL AXIS AND SAID SECOND PIVOTAL AXES, DOOR OPERATING MEANS INCLUDING LINKS CONNECTING SAID SHAFT TO EACH DOOR SUBSTANTIALLY AT SAID SECOND PIVOTAL AXES AND FORMING A TOGGLE LOCK HOLDING EACH DOOR IN CLOSED POSITION, AND SEPARATE LOCK MEANS CARRIED BY ONE OF THE DOORS AND ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID SHAFT TO PREVENT INADVERTENT ROTATION OF SAID SHAFT. 